Bakiyev leading with 50% ballots counted in Kyrgyzstan.

24/7 Tass 92

BISHKEK, July 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Incumbent Kyrgyzstan's President
Kurmanbek Bakiyev is leading in the presidential election by a wide margin
with 51.24% of ballots (1mln 47,000) counted. Bakiyev received 87.79% of
votes, a source in the republican central commission for elections and
referenda told ITAR-TASS. Other five candidates are far behind in the
election race.

For the first time in the history of Kyrgyzstan the presidential
election was held on a working day. However, more than 79% of the
electorate participated in the voting. On the voting day the united
opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev and self-nominee Zhenishbek
Nazaraliyev withdrew from the election and called off their observers from
the polling stations. They motivated their decision by numerous violations
during the voting, found by their proponents. However, Atambayev and
Nazaraliyev have not filed any properly written notifications concerning
their withdrawal, the source told Itar-Tass. The oppositionists also
declared their intention to hold a mass action of their supporters in the
evening on July 23, but not more than 1,000 people attended a concert
given at Atambayev's headquarters.
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